Clothes prop



I la INVENTOR. EDWARD J. HUGHES JR.

E. J. HUGHES, JR

CLOTHES PROP April 14, 1953 Filed Aprii e, 1950 April 14, 1953 E. J. HUGHES, JR 2,634,942

CLOTHES PROP Filed April 6, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. EDWARD J. HUGHES,JR.

CUMMJM" ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 14, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE A ono'rnss PROP Edward were, Jr.,.Philadelpliia, Pa. j Application April 6', 1950, Serial No. 154,243

' 8 claims. (01. 248-4353) This invention relates toadjustable supports or poles composed of two elongated members assembled face-to-face with meansto adjust them lengthwise with respect to each other. While not limited thereto, the invention is particularly applicable to adjustable supports of the kind used as clothes props.

Heretofore there have been. proposed many types of clamping devices to hold the upper section of a pro in fixed position with respect to the lower section, but such devices have left much to be desired in the adequacy of the looking or clamping devices.

In carrying out the present invention in one form thereof, one section of the support is provided with a guide which maintains the other support in guided relationship, while thelatter section has a pivoted guide and latching member characterized by two cross pieces, one'of which is disposed between the. adjacent faces of the two sections, and the other of which is disposed on the outer face of the movable section- Gravity or other pressure lengthwise of the movable support causes opposing edges of the cross members to press against the adjustable section to lock it in place and prevent slidable movement with respect to the stationary section of the support.

For further objects and advantages of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of. an adjustable sup rt; l ig; 21s a front elevation of Fig. 1';

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-4 of Fig. 2 with parts of the beam removed to show the lock and guide members in larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the upper end of a clothes prop showing the clothesline notch;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank used to make the lock and guide members; Fig. 6 is a perspective of the blank shown in Fig. 5 formed for use with rectangular props; and Fig. 7 is a perspective of the blank shown in Fig. 5 formed for use with round props.

Referring to the drawings, the invention has been shown as applied to an extensible support Ill comprising a first section II adjustable lengthwise of a secondsection I2, Secured to the lower end of the section II is a guide I3. Secured to the upper end of the second section I2 is a pivoted clamp or locking device I4. Though applicable to various uses, such as tripods, extensible standards for jumping contests, and 'the like, 'the'invention has been "illustrated as applied to a 2 clothesline prop having an opening I 5 in the upper'end ofsection II.

As best seen in Figs. 3 and 6, the pivoted 10cking or clamping member I4 is provided with laterally extending side arms [4d and Nb, each provided with side openings through which extend pivot pins I6 and I1, Fig. 2. While a single pin can be utilized, threaded nails, have. been found satisfactory for pins I6 and I! which pivotally attach the latching member Hi to the upper end of the section I2. The latching member I4 is provided with two cross-members I40 and I4d spaced one from the other. The cross member Md extends across the outer face IIa of section II, while the cross member He extends between the opposed and adjacent faces of sections I I and I2. As viewed in Fig. 3, gravity, or any downwardly directed force applied to the section II, causes the lower lefthand corner of cross member Md to move toward face I Id, while the upper righthand corner of cross member I40 is pressed toward the adjacent face Nb of section I I. The greater the downward force, the greater tendency there will be for hinged latching member I4 to be rotated in a clockwise direction. The action is sufficient to produce small indentations in soft wood, thus indicating the rigid locking action secured by reason'of the, arrangement including the provision of the two cross members I40 and Md. The indentations are produced by compressional forces and hence there is avoided any tendency of the splintering of the wood which has heretofore resulted from'provision of teeth.

On the other hand, an upwardly applied force on the section II acting-throughthe supportengaging corners of cross members [4c and Idd rotates the hinged latching member in a counterclockwise direction to disengage it. from faces Ila and Ill). As soon as disengaged, the section I I may with ease be moved upwardly to any desired position. Obviously, by lifting upwardly on the cross member I4d, or gripping thev sides for such upward movement, the latching member I4 can bereleased for lowering of the section II to any desired position.

One of the features of the present invention resides in the fact that the latching member I4 will function with the sections II and I2 turned from the positions shown in Fig. 3. For example, if the drawing is turned through 180, it will be seen that the section I2 may then be lifted upwardly with the guide I3 then being disposed adjacent the upper end of section II, while the locking member I4 will be rotated about its pivotal axis to free the prop-engaging corners from.

' 3 section II for ready movement of section I2 upwardly. However. reverse or downward movement of section I2 will bring the corner of cross member I40 into engagement with prop II, thus moving the clamping member I4 into the clamping position as shown in the drawings. In this application of the invention, it will be noted that the clamping member I4 may not be lifted to disengage its locking corners from section II. It is then required that section I2 be lifted to rotate the clamp to release it. In some applications this feature is of advantage.

Any suitable means can be utilized to insure lengthwise movement of the lower end of section I I along a substantially fixed path, though it has been found desirable to utilize a duplicate of the latching member I4 as the guide I3.

In Fig. 3 it will be observed that a kerf or notch is formed in the section I I to receive a fractional part of the cross-member I30 of member I3. Thus,.by holding the latching member and guide I3 in a fixed and horizontal position on section I I, as'by a pin or threaded nails I8 and I9, the member I3 will be held rigidly at right angles to section II, with the section I2 disposed between cross-members I 3c and I3cl. By providing suitable sto-ps 20 and 2| on the inner face I217 of section I2, the extent of adjustment of section II relative to section I2 may be predetermined, the cross-member I3c engaging the stop-s 2B and 2I. Thus, as a guide the cross-member I3c performs the dual functions of locking engagement with section I I and as a metal cross member for engaging the stops 20 and 2 I. By utilizing the latching member for the guide, there is a saving in cost by reason of the fact that both may be made from the single stamping shown in Fig. 5 which only requires the bending thereof along the dotted lines 22, 23 and 24, 25 to produce the completed unit shown in perspective in Fig. 6.

By utilizing a configuration at the upper endof the section I I to encircle a clothesline, additional advantages are obtained in accordance with the present invention. As best shown in Fig. 4, one end of one section is provided with a diagonal slot 26 through which the clothesline 21 may be introduced. By then turning the prop, the clothesline is moved relative to the slot 25 and into the opening I5, there being overhanging projections 2 6a. to retain the clothesline 2'! within opening I5. Accordingly, if one or more of the supports III are used as clothes props, it will be seen that initially they will be extended to the proper height to keep the clothes safely above the ground. .In the event of wind which has heretofore frequently liftedthe clothesline from the clothes props, the result in accordance with the present invention will be that the upper section will be lifted upwardly, the latching member I4 rotating with such upward movement to permit relative movement of section II with respect to section I2. However, a slight downward movement will cause the latch Hi again to clamp or lock the sections together. The result of the wind lifting the clothesline is the extension of the clothes prop to prevent dislodgement and the falling of the clothes to the ground. Inasmuch as the clothes prop may be used with either section I I or section I2, the upper or lower part thereof, it is to be understood the diagonal slot 26 and the hole I5 may be formed in either or both outer ends. If formed in both extremities of each section, the clothes prop can be used with either section II or section I2 forming the lower relatively stationary part.

The invention is not limited to rectangular clothes props, but is also applicable to supports where the respective sections I I and I2 are round or square or of other configuration. In such cases, it will be observed the cross members may include the circular or arcuate or other complementary shape to that of the support-section such as shown at Me and I4 of Fig. 7. The width of the latching and guide members is reduced for round and square supporting members by bending the blank shown in Fig. 5 along suitably spaced dotted lines 22a, 23a, 24a and 25a. In each case, the arcuate central portions are disposed between the fiat, straight edges of each cross member. The operation will be the same as described in connection with Fig. 3, except that the arcuate or complementary shape at Me and been shown, it is to be understood that further modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A longitudinally adjustable support comprising a first section and a second section, a guide movable with said first section and restraining said second section during longitudinal movement, a second guide and latching member carried by said second sectionand having side extensions embracing said first section on opposite sides thereof, and means including said extensions pivoting said second guide to said second section, for angular movement about the pivotal axis thereof, said second guide having two cross members, one of which is disposed between adjacent faces of said sections; said last-named cross mem ber engaging one surface and the other engaging an opposite surface of said first section for locking said sections together upon axial pressure applied to said first section.

2. In combination, a longitudinally adjustable support having a first section slidable relative to a second section, a locking member having side portions embracing both said sections, means for pivotally supporting said locking member from one of said sections, said locking member having one cross member disposed between said sections and interconnected with said side portions and the other cross member extending along thesurface of the section remote from the one at which said member is hinged and being interconnected with said side portions, pivotal movement of said locking member rotating said cross members into clamping engagement with said opposite surfaces, and a guide spaced from said locking member for maintaining said sections adjacent each other during longitudinal adjustment thereof.

3. In combination, a longitudinally adjustable support having a first section slidable, relative to a second section, a locking member comprising two lateral arms embracing both of said sections and having openings at corresponding ends for pivotal attachment to one of said sections, a cross member between said lateral arms and between adjacent faces of said sections, one surface of said cross member acting as a stop to prevent pivotal movement above the horizontal in one direction and having another surfacefor engaging one face of one of said sections, and a second cross member extending between said arms for engaging the opposite face of said lastmentioned section securely to hold it in fixed position relative to said other section, and a guide hold it at right angles thereto without pivotal movement thereof.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which the cross members of the first-named looking member have opposing mid-portions thereof of arcuate shape intermediate straight-line portions for locking engagement with supports generally round in cross section.

6. A clothes prop comp-rising two longitudinally adjustable sections, a locking member means pivotally connecting said member at one end to one of said sections, said locking member having cross members interconnecting side members, one of said cross members extending between adjacent and opposing faces of said sections and the other cross member extending across the face of the section remote from the hinged end of said locking member, said side members extending along opposite sides of both of said sections, one of said sections having secured at right angles thereto a guide including a, cross member nesting within a slot therein and including a second cross member extending across the face of said lower section remote from said slot.

7. A clothes prop comprising an upper section and a lower section longitudinally adjustable one with respect to the other, on of said sections having a pivoted locking member pivotally secured to it at one end, said locking member having cross members interconnecting side members, one of said cross member extending between adjacent and opposite faces of said sections and the other cross member extending across the face of the section remote from the hinged end of said locking member, said side members extending along opposite sides of both of said sections, one of said sections having secured at right angles thereto a guide including a cross member nesting within a slot in said last-named section and including a second cross member extending across the face of said section remote from said slot, and stops secured to the face of the section facing said slot and engageable by a cross member extending outwardly of said slot for limiting the extent of adjustment of one section relative to the other section.

8. The combination set forth in claim '7 in which at least an upper end of one of said sections is provided with a diagonal clothesline-receiving slot and having at the base of the slot a clothesline-receiving hole extending normally through the section to provide overhanging locking lips to hold the clothesline in place for the lifting of said section upon elevation of the clothesline and for automatic locking of the section in an elevated position.

EDWARD J. HUGHES, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 878,416 McDougall Feb. 4, 1908 1,482,278 Trent Jan. 29, 1924 1,876,508 Britton Sept. 6, 1932 1,978,865 Haines Oct. 30, 1934 2,051,969 Shastock Aug. 25, 1936 2,356,908 Arrowsmith Aug. 29, 1944 2,413,921 Jaspersen Jan. 7, 1947 2,483,388 Skidmore Sept. 27, 1949 2,483,395 Benson Oct. 4, 1949 

